Finding Harmony
by Arsha Clarek
Summary: Six years after the Potters' death, eight year old Harmony Carmicheals family is attacked, and she is presumed dead. What happens six years later when a certain Hermione Granger realizes her story picks up where Harmony's leave off?
1. Braver, Stronger, Smarter, Loved

Disclaimer: It is my dream to be able to write as well as JK Rowling and own Harry Potter but as of today, I'm not even halfway there.

I really need you guys to review this one. I started writing this last year, but I recently looked back and it didn't look so good. So I finally figured out how to rewrite it. This is only my second attempt at a multi-chapter story, and the first one I believe is done. So please, R&R!

Wish me luck!

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><p>"<em>What will I do when I leave?" a young girl asks as she sits in a warm living room with her family. " I have to go back to New York when Mom and Dad come back ." <em>

_Her grandfather strokes his long white beard as he thinks for a moment, then responds. "Remember this: you're braver than you believe…"_

_Her grandmother, clad in her emerald green robes, and godfather with long black hair hear the old man begin the quote, and jump in. _

"…_Stronger than you seem..." The godfather says. _

"…_.smarter than you think…" The grandmother continues._

"…_and loved more than you know." Grandmother, Grandfather, Godfather, and Girl finish simultaneously. The young girl giggles._

"_I will _never_ forget that." The young girl spoke as she fingered the family crest that hung around her neck. On the back, the words "Stronger, Braver, Smarter, Loved," were engraved as a constant reminder._

_The girls parents would return from a Dentistry course to pick her up the next day, so the rest of the evening was spent laughing a smiling as another peaceful day as a family wrapped up._

If only it would last.


	2. The Aftermath

Disclaimer:Still don't own Harry Potter

Here's the next chapter! Thanks to the few of you who put me on story alert/favorites. It means alot.

Please R&R!

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><p>"<em>Enervate."<em>

Severus trembled as he helped his adoptive mother up. She struggled to consciousness.

Minerva mumbled as she sat up and looked around. She was on the floor leaning against a small sofa with fresh burn marks here and there. The regularly neat Great Room where the Dumbledore's had lived since her daughter's birth nearly thirty-five years ago had torn curtains, and singed furniture. The glass doors leading out to the garden that had become their haven over the years were shattered. Minerva noticed Severus kneeling next to her, tear tracks cutting clean lines through the dirt on his face.

"Severus….Iris and John…"

"They were followed-by deatheaters-through the floo. You know Iris and John didn't stand a chance." He whispered. But he was right, and Minerva knew it. Her daughter, his sister, Iris, was a squib, and her husband John was a muggle, leaving neither of them with magical defenses. And now her daughter, and her son-in-law were both gone , leaving behind one thing…

"Where is Harmony? And Albus?" She asked worriedly, praying for their safety.

Severus took a breath than began to explain. "They were after Harmony-she was the main target. I heard them discussing while you and Dad were fighting them. Harmony was Dad's only weakness. She came down hearing the noise and saw one of them kill Iris. I brought her back upstairs and got her to safety in the fastest way I could."

"Severus you didn't!"

"Mum, it was the only way I could think of! The floo network was out of the question and apparition is impossible; the portkey was the only thing I could think of! And it has been tested twice, both successful."

"I hope your right. Where did it take her?" she asked.

"It should have taken her to Aberforths pub-the Hog's Head. Dad went to go find her."

"Oh, Severus!" Minerva cried, leaning into her son as they mourned the loss of their family, waiting with baited breath for Albus and Harmony.

Albus would return later that night with nothing but a heavy heart and tears in his eyes, as his brother had seen nothing of the eight –year old girl. And they would search for many months, to no avail. Many who had followed the story of Dumbledore and his mysteriously unnamed, wife's granddaughter's disappearance as well as the authorities, had presumed Harmony as dead. Her family would never give up though, with a small flame of hope still burning.

And waiting.


	3. The Quidditch World Cup

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I'm doing this for fun, and to develope my writing skills. I'm making no money, so please don't sue me!

Hey guys. I know it's been a while, but it's beacuase I really haven't been motivated to write. I had two chapters up and in I think a week and a half, I only had one person put me on favorite (Thanks blondewolf1!), two on alert (thanks The Last Poison Apple and Becca'Babezz!) and no reviews. I really need your feedback to tell me if you like it or hate it and why.

I'm not going to let this stop me, though. I write because I want to, not for others. But right now this is for those three afformentioned. Thanks!

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><p>"Hermione!" she heard Ron Weasley, one of her best friends, scream. Hermione Granger, a fourteen year old witch, had attended the Quidditch World Cup with his family and the third of their trio, Harry Potter. Something horrible had happened, and Harry was nowhere to be seen. Ron however was trying to pull her to safety. But she was fixated on the figures standing in front of her. She clasped her hand around the pendent around her neck as she saw a glimpse of something very familiar. A blurry memory popped into her mind.<p>

-flashback-

_A young girl screamed as a green light hit her mother. The woman lay motionlessly on the ground, while two of the five figures in dark cloaks and silver masks stood over her. A man, about the same age as the woman, rushed over and scooped the girl up in his arms. She threw her arms around his neck as he carried her away from the men in the silver masks. He spoke to her. _

_The words were unclear, but the young girl obviously understood the man. He handed her an ornate hand mirror, and kissed her on the forehead. _

_As she disappears, she gasps at the odd sensation. She pulls her hand away from the mirror in surprise, only to find herself falling through the darkness. She hits her head on the sidewalk below her, and she lay there unconscious, a shattered mirror by her side._

"Hermione, come on!" She looked around puzzled as Ron once again tugs on her hand. She notices the men and runs with him to the safety of the forest, shaking the memory from her mind.

_It's probably nothing._


	4. Discoveries

Disclaimer: Harry Potter isn't mine.

I don't know how to thank you all enough. I now have three more alerts and four more favorites- not to mention two reviews! I asked and you really pulled through for me.

I realize it was a little slow in the begining, but I really think it's begun to pick up. I just finished chapter 7 a couple minutes ago, so I figured it would be a great time to put up another chapter.

Don't forget to R&R!

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><p>Things had started out shaky for Harry, Hermione and Rons fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Between the horror that was the Quidditch World Cup and eerie dreams of plotting villains plaguing Harry's mind, Hermione was glad for the surprise of the Triwizard Tournament. It brought a happy excitement to the school that paralleled that of last year's fear of a mass murderer.<p>

She had spent yet another late night in the library, trying to finish up the many essays assigned to her for homework so to free her time enough to read about what happened to the Triwizard Tournament, and why it was so suddenly stopped all those years ago. As she replaced all her books along with the new one she just checked out about the history of the Tournament, she heard the clock tower strike nine in the distance.

"Surely it can't be that late!" she whispered to herself.

"Oh, Miss Granger, it is." Madam Pince, the librarian, said sounding irritated. "I thought you said you'd be out _before _closing time from now on."

"I'm sorry Madam Pince, but-"Hermione started.

"Hm! Just get over hear so I can write you a pass." She rolled her eyes.

"Thank you, Madam Pince." Hermione said forcedly, but politely as she accepted the slip of paper.

Hermione slowly started her way back to Gryffindor Tower. She let her mind wander to the flashes of scenes that she kept seeing in Hogwarts; she hoped that they could be actual memories. Memories of from who she was before she woke up on a sidewalk with no memory. They all featured a young girl, normally six or seven years old, usually included a tall man with a contagious chuckle, and an elderly couple.

She had been pondering these things for a while, when suddenly she heard shuffling behind her. Hermione looked back. Seeing nothing, she continued on her way with heightened senses. When the noise came again this time louder, she pressed herself against the wall next to her between two of the castles great pillars.

Hermione nearly screamed as the wall slid from behind her like two elevator doors. She fell across the threshold on her back and stared in horror as the they slid back leaving her in pitch black darkness.

She gulped and turned around, and seeing a small light, she realized the only way to go was forward.


	5. Underneath the Dust

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. Sigh.

I am so thankful to all the reviewers/alerts/favorites I've been getting! Keep it up!

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><p>Illuminating her wand, Hermione dropped her books by the door and entered a dust covered room that seemed abandoned.<p>

She noticed that the room was in circular shape with many doors leading off from it. As she continued forward she felt something odd beneath her feet: wall to wall carpeting. The sofas in front of her looked like they were in very good shape, excusing quite a few singe marks on each. The three sofas were placed in a semicircle around the fireplace with a low table in the center. It looked more like a living room, she noticed, than a common room.

Above the fireplace hung a silver crest. Underneath it, on the mantle, sat many pictures. Hermione couldn't make any of them out though, as each was covered in years' worth of layers of dust.

As she continued forward in the room, she noticed that the large window-the only window in the room- off to the side of the fireplace was shattered. The pale purple curtains that hung on either side were tattered and blew absently in the cool October air. She walked over and peered out, certain that from outside, she would have noticed a broken window.

She was greatly surprised to see a large courtyard, boxed in on all sides by the stone walls of the castle. There was a hill that began with a flat grassy area and ran all the way across the garden. The hill led down to a pond with stones in the center to cross over. Behind the pond was what looked to be a small forest: there were many trees and bushes. Unfortunately though, the entire garden was scattered with weeds, having been abandoned so long ago.

The whole place was incredibly familiar to Hermione, as if she had been there in a dream. She knew specific things about the place, like that the second door next to the entrance was a closet, and that the the picture of a waterfall led to a staircase, and _then _a room.

_But how_, she thought, _how do I know these things? _

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><p>In another part of the castle, Albus Dumbledore had just sent an owl off with a letter to the headmistress at Beauxbatons about the tournament when he noticed the ring with his family crest, not unlike Minerva's pendant or Severus' ring, begin to glow and become warm. Before he had time to ponder why, his wife came swiftly through the door, clutching the pendant that hung around her neck.<p>

"Minerva, it can't be her." He said dejectedly before she could speak. "We've been through this."

"But what if it is, Albus? What if it is her, and we just stand here? Please. Let's just go look." She begged with tears in her eyes at the thought of her lost granddaughter.

"No. It's probably just Severus. I haven't been there since…the attack. I don't want to go there unless I have to. Not unless we're sure." He answered back softly. He felt so guilty for what had happened. His daughter and her family were gone. There should have been more protection!

"But it isn't Severus. I passed him on my way here. He felt it, too and is on his way to go investigate. There is someone else in the castle that can get in!" Minerva fought back. When he said nothing, she continued. "I'm going."


	6. Severus' Revelation

Disclaimer:HP= Not mine. Fanfiction=no money. You=No sue?

Here's the next chapter. Sorry it's taken so long, but it's been kinda rough lately. My Grandmother was in the hospital two weeks ago, and then she comes out and we get hit with an Earthquake and a Hurricane in one week, both of which are highly unusual for our area.

A few people have asked tthat i make the chapters longer, so I'm trying to do that as best as I can. Please R&R and let me know how I'm doing!

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><p>Severus Snape was not a runner. Even in an emergency, he <em>walked quickly.<em> He never ran.

Only the thought that he may be able to see his goddaughter again for the first time in six years got him to run through the halls of Hogwarts. After a brief encounter with his mother, he began to run to the Rooms. He could have used the door that led from his office to the Main Room, but he wanted to make sure that he wasn't the only one that had noticed that the Rooms' wards had been crossed for the first time since its main occupants had been killed.

When he arrived between the two pillars, he took a breath and stepped between them. His heart beat faster as the sliding stone doors revealed the brown hair in front of him. She was standing next to the window, her fingers tangled through the torn curtain as she gazed out the window at the garden.

"Harmony?" Severus asked hopefully. The young girl in front of him spun around and gasped.

His heart sunk. It wasn't his Harmony.

"P-Professor….I'm sorry. I-I…" Hermione stuttered.

"What are you doing here? Curfew was ten minutes ago." He asked tiredly with a sad tone to his voice.

"I heard someone, and…and somehow ended up in here. I'm sorry! Are these _your_ rooms?" she asked fervently.

"No. They're not mine. You may leave." He said as he looked around. Dust covered the entire room. He was drawn to the crest on the wall identical to the one on his ring. Severus let out a breath and rubbed his face with his hands as he sat down on the middle sofa, facing the fireplace. On the table in front of him, a sheet of brightly colored paper caught his eye. He smiled wistfully as he remembered what had once been: an eight year old girl sitting in front of a burning fireplace coloring the picture before him. He picked it up, blew off the dust and read it.

"You are braver then you believe, stronger than you seem, smarter than you think." The quote written in crayon stopped there. It was a picture that Harmony had been drawing earlier in the night. She never got to finish it.

"Loved." He heard a whisper behind him.

"I thought I said you could leave, Ms. Granger!" He said sternly with a flicker of rage, before the single word that she spoke sunk in. He turned around slowly. "_What did you say_?"

"It's hasn't been finished, has it Professor? Those words are on the back of my necklace. _Braver, Stronger, Smarter, Loved. _I've always wondered what they meant."

"May I see it?" Hermione hesitantly removed the chain from around her neck. Even when she handed her professor the pendant, she held onto the to the chain. Severus noticed this small action immediately.

"Ms. Granger, I assure you, I'm not going to steal it."

She blushed and released the chain. "I'm sorry Professor, but that's very important to me. You see, it may be the last link I have left to my parents."

Severus raised an eyebrow at the girl. "Last link? Whatever happened?"

She took a seat on one of the other two sofas. "I can't remember a thing before I was eight. That's when I was found on a sidewalk, with a large bump on the back of my head and that necklace around my neck. If that pendant is a crest like I think it is, then I just need to find another like it."

He stared at the pendant in his hands. Severus looked down at Hermione, trying to pinpoint certain traits that could link her to the pendant.

"Ms. Granger, are you wearing any glamour?" He asked quickly.

"What?" She answered, taken aback by the sudden force of his question. "Glamour….no!"

"Do not lie to me!"

"I'm not lying!" But apparently, he didn't believe her.

"_Finite Incantatem."_ He whispered, his hand still clutching the pendant.

Hermione felt a whirl of magic surround her. For a few moments, she could neither hear nor see; only feel the pulsing of magic behind her ears. When everything settled, Hermione looked up confused at Severus. He was gaping at her uncharacteristically with wide, confused eyes and an open mouth.

"What on Earth was that?" She asked.

Before he could answer, a certain Minerva McGonagall entered the room. When Hermione turned around, Minerva clutched a hand to her heart. She ran over and enveloped Hermione in her arms.

"Oh…Harmony! Oh sweetheart, you're here! And you're alive! Oh…" she cried with tears of joy in her eyes.


	7. Speculations

Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.

Here's the next chapter! Thanks to everyone who reads, extra thanks to those who favorite or follow, and big hug to everyone who reviews!

First day in a new school tomorrow, wish me luck! That also means that my sporadic updates will become even more sporadic. Sorry, but school always comes first.

Don't forget to review!

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><p>After a few moments, Minerva reluctantly released the girl from her arms and ran to the fireplace.<p>

"Professor?" Hermione asked tentatively as Minerva sat down next to Hermione after fire-calling Albus. The older witch's face fell.

She chuckled nervously. "Harmony, you don't need to call-"

"Who's Harmony?" Hermione asked confusedly. Minerva looked just as confused as Hermione. She then shifted her gaze to Severus, who remained seated on the couch next to them.

Severus sighed. "Ms. Granger, why don't you go explore the rooms. I need to talk to Professor McGonagall for a moment."

Hermione nodded as Minerva's eyes grew wide. She hesitated slightly to leave and Severus understood why instantly.

"Ms. Granger, I have no intentions of taking your pendant. I need to show Professor McGonagall. You will have it back before this night is over." Satisfied, she smiled and allowed herself to try a door.

Once she had entered the room, Minerva recovered her ability to speak.

"_That _was Ms. Granger? Severus, you must be joking!"

"I'm afraid not. That was what she looked like after I removed the Glamour charms."

"But that looked nothing like her! Her hair, her eyes, she looked identical t-to Harmony." She was correct, he noted. Gone were Hermione's bushy brown hair and chocolate brown eyes. In their place were silky dark brown curly ringlets and piercing blue eyes. "Why was she wearing Glamour charms?"

"Your guess is as good as mine. She claims she had no idea that she was wearing them…and I believe her. With the way she's acted for the past four years, and now her looks, I'm starting to suspect that she really _is _Harmony." He said slowly, trying to gauge his mothers reaction. But it wasn't her who answered.

"Severus, please. Harmony has been dead for years. As much as you may want to, there is no –_legal_- way to change the past." Albus answered in an uncharacteristically gruff tone as he strode into the room. The stress of everything was starting to pile up: the tournament, making sure everything was ready for the other schools, suspicious activity from the _other _side, and now this?

"Albus, I think I agree with Severus. You haven't seen Miss Granger." Minerva spoke up.

"Miss Granger? What does she have to do with Harmony? You can't mean…"

Severus sighed. "She was the one that breached the wards. I discovered that Miss Granger was wearing Glamour. This was around her neck. _This _is how she got in. _This _is why I think she's Harmony."

Minerva let out a shaky breath as Albus reached out and took the necklace in his hand.

Hermione stepped through the soothing picture of the waterfall and climbed a short flight of stairs. There was more comfort in seeing the picture, than the actual picture itself. It felt warm, happy.

It felt _normal._

As did the bedroom she entered. It was a soft green color, with a mirroring waterfall where she had entered. She sat down on the white bed that was not unlike her bed in Gryffindor tower and looked around. There were many bookshelves all almost overflowing with books. She layed back on the bed, absorbing everything that had happened in the past hour: wandering into a hidden world, discovering that she may not be who she thought she was: how her appearance alone had changed with a simple revealing spell.

She sighed. Suddenly, the images from someone else's childhood were surrounding her.

_The same young girl- this time about seven or eight years old. She has dark brown curly hair and stunning blue eyes. She runs into a pale green room with tears on her face and a jar in her hand. _

_A tall man with dark hair and steely eyes walked in after her. _

"_Sweetheart, what's wrong?" He asks as she shoves the jar under her pillow. The door-a painting of a waterfall swings closed softly behind him. _

"_I messed up! I can't even bake a simple cake! You said 'be creative' and I tried but I ruined everything!" she cried, their accents contrasting strongly against each other. _

"_What did you try to do?" He asked as he sat next to her on the bed, his arm pulling her close to him._

"_I tried to get the ginger like the recipe called for and they spilled into the lemon drops I was going to put in for Papa! Now I don't have any ginger, I don't have any lemon drops, and I spent too much time worrying about the rest of the cake that It burned, so I don't even have a cake anymore. Just these…." She held up the jar full of small yellow candies, with a fine brown dusting._

"_Harmony, I once heard a wise man say 'happiness can be found, even in even the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.' You know who this man is?" _

_She sniffled and shook her head. _

"_Your Papa." Harmony smiled._

"_So, I should find a way…to make my mistake good?" _

_He simply nodded._

"_Thank you, uncle Severus!" she threw her arms around the mans neck._

"_What are you going to do?" _

"_I may not be able to give Nana and Papa a cake for their anniversary, but I can give them a brand-new candy: Ginger Lemons!" she said as she ran out of the room. _

Hermione sat up, finding herself in the same room that Harmony and…her uncle were in. She gulped, and scooted up the bed a bit and opened the drawer to the nightstand. Her hand made contact with a cold, slick surface. She drew out a small glass Mason jar, filled halfway with small yellow candies covered with ginger.

And she remembered it. She remembered it all.


	8. Memories of the Upmost Importance

Disclaimer: I do not own anything you recognize from the books. This plotline is also loosely based off the movie _Anastasia, _which I also don't own.

Let me start by apologizing for being away for sooo long! As I mentioned in my last note, I started a new school and it's keeping me busier than I have ever been before. I also want to put this in my readers head: I will not abandon this story. Do not give up on me!

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><p>What happened that night remained a mystery to Hermione. She woke up the next morning in her own bed, with little recollection of how she got there, causing her doubt what had actually happened. The books she needed from the library were sitting patiently by her bed. She sat up and ran her fingers through her hair, seeing that the dark black curls she had seen last night were mysteriously back to brown waves. She felt the worn edges of her pendant. "It does sort of look like a crest, I suppose." she thought to herself. "But it can't be. Last night couldn't have happened."<p>

She went through the day normally, and with the exception of her needing to fight the new but strangely natural instinct to call the residing Transfiguration professor "Nana," no one acknowledged what had supposedly happened. Until, of course, Potions.

It was a simple pain relief potion that the class had been working on for quite a while now, so it was mindless work to Hermione. Every chance she got, she looked up to try to catch a glance at Snape's face. To see if it could be the man in her memories. The one with the laugh. Her godfather.

"Miss Granger what are you staring at?" He asked when he had caught her at least twice.

"Uh-I…um…" she stammered, caught off guard.

"Enough!" He growled looking her deep in the eyes. "Five points from Gryffindor. Please stay after class Miss Granger."

She saw something in that stare. Something that told her he was not angry with her. Possibly. She supposed she'd find out after class.

And she was right. Right after the bell rang to dismiss the last class of the day, Hermione told her friends to go on and that she'd meet them later.

As she approached the Potion Master's desk, he looked up.

"Why we're staring at me today during class, Miss Granger?" He asked in a soft, surprisingly gentle voice.

"Because I was trying to picture you as…" She trailed off.

"I have heard too many endings to that sentence, Miss Granger, though I am curious to see what you would manage to come up with!" He laughed.

Laughed. Hermione finally got her answer. Her eyes went wide and her mouth opened in shock.

"It is you!"

"What?" He wrinkled his brow in confusion.

"Last night really happened? Is it possible?"

"Anything can be possible." He rolled his eyes and glanced around the empty classroom." Why don't we step into my rooms? Then we can discuss this without the worry of being overheard."

"When you said 'anything could be possible' does that include the possibility that Harmony is still alive…or that she could be…me?" She asked as they sat in his living room.

He sighed deeply and remained quiet for a moment before standing up and returning with a medium-sized leather book.

"This was our family photo album." He then began to speak in his stern teacher voice. "I trust in your ability to hold whatever we speak about within these walls in your own mind. You are not to share this with anyone, including Potter and Weasley. Am I understood?"

She nodded. Snape then resumed his gentle, lesser known side.

He opened the first page. There was an old photograph dead center, depicting a young newly-wed couple. Each clasped the other hands, and stared at each other with an expression that can only be described as full and complete love by even the most heartless of people.

"This is Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore, isn't it?" Hermione asked looking up at Severus. He closed his eyes and let his mouth curl slightly up in a smile before nodding.

"On their wedding day, yes. That was nearly forty years ago."

As he kept flipping through the pages, more pictures of the happy couple were revealed. Christmasses, summers, and the occasional staff party were all included.

"Does the rest of the staff know about all of this? About Harmony and Nana and Papa," she grimaced at her mistake. "I mean Professors McGonagall and Dumbledore."

"Some of them know. " He answered slowly. "Why did you correct yourself?"

She looked down. "Last night, in those rooms, I…remembered." She seemed to be at a loss for words.

"Remembered what?"

"Everything! At least, that's how it feels. I remember being here, I remember Nana and Papa, and.. and you!"

"Me?" He asked calmly as Hermione looked down at the floor and squinted her eyes as she tried to remember.

"I don't know if this was a dream or a memory or something else entirely, but I distinctly recall one time, and I was in the Headmasters office. Nana was on a small sofa across from Papa's desk. They were probably doing work, but I didn't seem to care. "she laughed softly. "I wanted to go swimming in the lake, under the ice. Nana looked at Papa, who shrugged, and then someone came up and grabbed me from behind. That was…"

"Me." Snape said solemnly, shocked that this girl, Hermione, would remember that particular moment in his goddaughters past. He flipped through the pages of the Photo Album until he found his desired page. In the upper –right hand corner was picture of a little girl with black curly hair and piercing blue eyes. She wasn't smiling. It was more of a pout. One could put two and two together: she had a bathing suit and sandals on, but the window pane behind her was covered in snow.

"This was from that day. It was no dream, Hermione. " said Snape.

"Uncle Sev." She let out a breath and instinctively grabbed his arm as yet another wave of memories crashed over her, leaving her in a far away place and unable to get her bearings. I

"_Uncle Sev, how do you spell 'believe'?" she asked from her place at the low coffee table in front of the fire._

"_B-E-L-I-E-V-E," He answered looking up from his book only after a moment had passed. "Why?"_

"_I'm trying to draw a picture of Nana's moddo-thing." She answered trying to twist her head and the pendant around her neck to better enable her to read the writing on the back._

"_Motto. You were close enough."He smiled as he inched forward on the sofa to get a look at the picture. "Why are you asking me how to spell? You've already written most of it, and correctly, too!"_

"_I just wanted to check. I want it to be done before Mom and Dad come to pick me up, so that I can leave it with you until the next time I visit!" she beamed._

"_So you'll have it done by-" He was, as was the rest of the serentity that filled the space, rudely interrupted by Minerva bursting in from her office. Something was clearly wrong. _

_But she didn't get the chance to explain as Harmony and Severus jumped back as the fireplace roared alive green. Two figures stumbled out, a man and a woman; followed by five darker figures that were obviously not friend. One of the first few cloaked figures pulled out his wand and shot a green beam of light at the man. _

_He moved no more. I didn't take long for the men to target the woman, and she soon lay beside her husband._

"_Get the girl!" The head of the dark figures nodded to a few on each side of him toward Harmony, who stood staring at what was left of her parents. Severus reacted quickly, scooping the small eight years old into his arms and up a side passageway as Minerva defended them. _

_By the time uncle and niece had made it to safety, he was cut in several places and she was shaking, clutching at the man who held her. He pressed his hand to the stone directly in front of him in the small room they ended up in, revealing an ornate hand mirror. He crouched down slightly and held her firmly by the shoulders._

"_Sweetheart, I need you to listen to me. This is a portkey. It will take you to Uncle Aberforths pub in Hogsmeade. DO NOT let go of this until you get there, no matter how strange it feels. Do you understand me?" She nodded shakily. "Someone will find you there, either me or Nana or Papa. Do not leave without one of us."_

_Heavy footprints and a scream from Minerva alerted them that time was not their friend._

"_Uncle Sev, I'm scared!" _

"_I know, darling, I know. It will be okay." He stroked her hair and kissed her forehead. He handed her the mirror, which turned a faint green the instant it touched his hand. "I love you! Don't forget that."_

"_I love you to Uncle Seve-"she spoke as she felt an unfamiliar sensation take hold of her and saw the door open. Startled by the feeling, she instinctively drew her hand back towards her body and the mirror disappeared. The world stopped rushing past her and soon she was on a sidewalk. Harmony only held blurry consciousness for mere seconds before the world went black._

"Hermione! _Hermione_!" Hermione blinked a few times, and tried to regain her composure, which She proved very difficult. She was still holding fast to his arm, and he in return had taken ahold of her other arm. She was breathing heavily, a result of such a powerful memory overtaking her and opening doors to everything that had been hidden in her mind for years.


	9. An Embrace Long Overdue

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

Long time, no speak, huh? I've been working on updating this story since Christmas Break. The result: two chapters in one day. Please review! Let me know how I'm doing, if you love it or hate it and why! I'm an amateur writer and any tips would help!

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><p>"Hermione! Hermione!" Hermione blinked a few times, and tried to regain her composure, which proved very difficult. She was still holding fast to his arm, and he in return had taken ahold of her other arm. She was breathing heavily, as different strings ran through her mind with names, faces, places.<p>

Nana. Papa. Hogwarts. Mirrors. Fire. Pub. Family. Rooms. Secret. Quiet.

"What happened?" He asks as tears gather in her eyes. Black eye met brown.

"It's my fault! I let go! You told me not to and I did!" She sobbed.

"What are talking about?"

"The portkey! The mirror! It was for emergency's only; they're not supposed to leave Hogwarts, but -it had worked before…I had seen you and Papa use it to get to the pub…Uncle Abe's pub! But people followed Mommy and Daddy…through the fire…" she paled as she sobbed. Her arms wrapped around herself as she shook slightly. "And killed them…didn't they? Mommy and Daddy are…dead! And you brought me upstairs and Nana was downstairs fighting. You gave me the mirror and told me to hold on…but I dropped it! I got scared! It was a strange feeling and I didn't know what was happening! I'm sorry Uncle Severus! I'm so sorry!"

He pulled the young girl close to him and held her tightly. His mind raced as he let her cry. There was no other person in the world that knew –or could know-the details of that night. Then it sunk in. _Harmony was alive!_

"Harmony! You're alive!" Soon he found tears forming in his eyes. "Everything will be okay, now. Shhh, sweetie, everything is alright. You're home. You're safe."

"I am home, aren't I? " She realized through her tears, which were coming to a stop.

"Don't you feel sorry. For anything. You hear me? Nothing that happened was your fault. It was out of anyone's control." He said sternly, pulling back from the comforting embrace to face her.

"But I let go after you specifically told me not to. You told me it was going to feel weird. _But I still let go! _How could I have been so stupid?_"_

"Hey! You weren't being stupid! You were a scared eight year old who had just witnessed…you were unprepared. I shouldn't have let you go alone…if anyone is to blame, it would be me. None of this matters though, because you're here. You're safe. "

A warmth filled her at this thought. "I'm home. With my family. Oh Uncle Severus! You don't know how amazing this is…to finally have a family and a home after all these years!"

"Actually, I have an idea. When I was in my second year, my mother died. My father was a workaholic muggle, and he soon realized that he couldn't raise me the way he should. I somehow wormed my way out of the foster system and into the Dumbledore family, with a Mother, Father and Sister. It's probably the best feeling in the world."

Hermione looked up at Severus, not Professor Snape, but Severus, and threw her arms around him, in a hug long overdue.


	10. Home, Love, Family

Disclaimer: I don't claim that I own any of J.K. Rowlings masterpiece. Please don't sue me...

Here is chapter 10! I honestly never thought I'd make it to such a large number. I'm so sorry it takes so long to update, but I have alot going on with school and other things. But I'm here now!

*Happy Easter/Passover/Spring Holiday!*

Please let me know what you think! Your reviews are what motivate me the most. Any writer can understand and relate, and I ask yoiu to pass along that wonderful feeling. Thanks!

Love, Arsha

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><p><em> Home, Love, Family<em>

_There was once a time I must have had them, too._

_Home, Love, Family _

_I will never be complete until I find you!_

_-Anastasia_

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><p>Hermione paced back and forth, curly dark brown hair flying about her face. Severus sat calmly on the couch in his rooms, reading.<p>

"What if they don't believe us?" Hermione asked stopping in her tracks. "Why would they believe us?"

Severus sighed and walked over to his goddaughter, leaving his book on the table in front of the. He looked her straight in the face and put his hands on her shoulders. Just seeing her face again- blue eyes and dark hair from her mother, a light dusting of freckles and dimples from her father- he couldn't help but smile, just a little.

"You're not lying to me, are you?" He asked.

"No!"

"Then you don't need to worry about it. " He said matter-of-factly.

"But-"

"But nothing. Mom and Dad may have a little trouble accepting the fact that you are alive and standing before them, but anyone would."

"What about you, Uncle Sev?" The name came so naturally to her. "Is this hard for you to accept?"

Severus looked at her, contemplating her question. "Yes. You were gone for so long...and now to have you back... it feels unreal. But here you are, clear as day. And you have Mum's hair, and Dad's eyes, and John's freckles, and everything Iris. Plus, you have the crest, which is impossible for anyone else to have. To top it all off, you actually remember The Rooms and the portkey and that night. That is a mystery even to most within the castle that night. "

"But I don't remember everything."

"You remember enough. You may never remember everything, but as you find yourself in familiar settings and situations things will come back to you. Don't worry."

Hermione simply smiled, her mind finally satisfied. "When will they be here?"

Severus glanced at the large clock on the wall as each took a chair. "Give them ten more minutes. There was a staff meeting with the heads from the other schools about the first task in a few weeks."

It was about five minutes later that the pair came in from a back entrance somewhere behind where Hermione and Severus were seated.

"Minerva, she was _not _flirting with me. " Albus said. His voice was soft and casual, almost smiling.

"Say what you may Albus, but I know what it's like to flirt with you. Lord knows I did it long enough!" She insisted back.

Severus stood, and Hermione turned around. She felt her stomach flutter at the sight of her grandparents together, and her fingers tangled around her pendant. Her smile didn't falter when their eyes met hers.

Their faces each showed a mixture of emotions: nostalgia, excitement, disbelief, confusion. They wanted to believe that their granddaughter was standing in front of them. But something was also telling them not to. That it was impossible.

"Nana? Papa?" Hermione felt herself whisper.

Albus' eyes darted to Severus, while Minerva's remained fixed on Hermione's.

"It's her," Severus confirmed. "She doesn't remember everything- it's doubtful she will- but there's no other explanation."

"Explanation for what?" Albus asked as he lead his wife over to the couch.

"There's no other explanation as to how I know...all the things that I know?...I'm not sure how to phrase it." She looked up to them and sighed. "I remember a lot now that my mind has been jogged."

Albus' face got softer. "You remember spending summer here?"

Hermione smiled warmly. "Oh, that's right...summers and Christmas and Easter breaks, we came here. We stayed in the Rooms!"

Minerva tried to withhold a smile as she touched her pendant. She looked at her son. "She has the crest?"

"That's how she got in last night."

Minerva retained an excited laugh. Albus smiled softly, but still looked doubtful.

"I remember the night we were attacked, Papa." Hermione said quietly. "I was sitting in front of the fire coloring. That's when Mom and Dad came through the floo...they were followed. Mom was hit by a curse and Severus carried me upstairs to the experiment Portkey. The one that took you through to Uncle Abe's pub in Hogsmeade! But I got scared...I didn't know what was happening and I let go. I hit my head on the sidewalk. I couldn't remember who or where I was.

"Last night I was going back to the Common Room after doing research in the library and I thought I heard someone coming. It was past curfew, and even though I had a note, I didn't want to get in trouble, soI pressed myself against the wall. It slid open and I fell in. That's where Uncle Sev found me. As I saw the Rooms again I started to remember...my room, in particular."

"Oh, Harmony..." tears pooled in the older mans eyes and a smile spread across his face. He reached out towards his granddaughter and held her in his arms for the first time in far too many years. She rested her head on his shoulder as his arms cradled her too him. Hermione couldn't suppress the smile that was brought on by the smell of her grandfather: a sort of sweet that reminded her of chocolate. She was pretty sure no one else heard him say softly, "I'm so sorry, dear."

She pulled back slightly from her grandfathers scent and his warm, strong arms to look him in the eyes. "Papa, I'm safe. _I'm home. _Everything is okay now."

Hermione sat on the couch next to Albus. Minerva let out an excited breath. Severus began to chuckle.

In that single moment, as she leaned into her grandfather, and heard her godfathers laugh, she knew for certain that she had found what she had been looking for.


	11. Secret

Wow...It's been a while. I'm sorry! For anyone still reading this, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.I have another chapter and a half finished already, soon ready to upload. I promise it will be sooner then last time.

If it's been too long, then here's a quick reminder:

Hermione is really Harmony Carmicheal, the niece and goddaughter of Severus, and the granddaughter of Albus and Minerva. It was just completely confirmed. This chapter explains The Rooms and how they work.

Please Pease! Let me know how I'm doing! Tell me if there is something you don't like, if there is ssomething you do like, _something!_

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><p>The Rooms looked quite unlike any other room in the castle. They had been formed over time, being slowly molded like clay when things were needed, they were added. When Minerva and Albus were married, The Rooms were born. The kitchenette, the living room and a handful of bedrooms were just suddenly...<em>there.<em>

There were only four doors at the time. One for Minerva's quarters, one for Albus' quarters, one for Albus' office, and one for Minerva's classroom. Then, when she became head of Gryffindor, a door that lead to the Gryffindor common room appeared. When Iris was born, and she wanted to run and play outdoors, an enclosed courtyard appeared outside. When Severus joined the family in his third year, a door to the Slytherin common room appeared. And of course, when he became a teacher, The Rooms were extended to include a door to his classroom as well.

While the Rooms were created by the castle, the key, was created by Albus, with a little help from a certain charms professor. The key was the family crest. Albus had a ring. Minerva had a pendant. Iris was given a pendant, and Severus was given a more discreet ring that he strung around a necklace when it was necessary. Harmony was given a pendant as well. Anyone with that specific crest on their person would be given access.

It was very homey. It was filled with comfortable chairs and sofas, and warm lighting. There were images on the wall of the family throughout all stages of their lives. Most of the space was covered in soft plush carpeting. One could almost forget that they were in a thousand-year-old stone castle.

Birthdays, anniversaries, births and graduations had all been celebrated, and it had all been done in complete secret.

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><p>"It was where Severus introduced your mother to her best friend." Minerva said over her chess game with Severus on the sofa. Severus was cross legged and Minerva sat with her legs curled beneath her with the chess game in between them.<p>

"Really? I thought they met before we told Lily about us." Albus chimed in from his place in the chair closest to the fireplace. He was sitting with a cup of tea in his hands answering all of Hermione's questions.

"Lily?" Hermione answered.

"Lily Evans." Minerva confirmed.

"But isn't that-"

"Harrys mother, yes." Minerva said. She glanced at Severus and sighed. "Lily is also your godmother."

Hermione's mouth opened slightly. If they were best friends, it wasn't surprising.

"They made a pact when they were about 15. When they were older, they would make each other their children's' godmothers." Severus shrugged. "They made me witness it."

Minerva chuckled. "That is something they would do. You- I hestitate to use the word 'suffered'- at their hands, didn't you?"

"I know far too many muggle songs then I care to admit."

"What about the jump rope?" Albus prompted with a grin.

"Oh god! Don't bring up the jump rope rhymes, Dad!" Severus cried burying his head in his hands as the other three laughed.

"And weren't you always somehow involved in their make believe games? The two of them together could convince you to do almost anything." Minerva commented as Severus' head made its way farther into his hands. Minerva turned to Hermione. "I don't think your mother alone could have gotten him to put on tights and a cape and play 'Superman,'" Hermione laughed at the thought.

"Mum!" Severus blushed.

Minerva's smile turned whistful. "You know, Hermione, you look just like her."

"Her hair, her eyes." Albus continued. Hermione grinned shyly.

"That is, when you're not disguised as your father." Severus mumbled.

"What?"

"You've been placed under whats called a mirage charm. I was-I was showing you the night we lost you." Minerva said slowly. "You told me you wanted to look like your father- brown hair brown eyes. So, thats what you looked like then, and what you will look like now to anybody who you don't explicitly tell. "

Hermione thought for a moment. "So I will always look like I did when i was eight -blue eyes dark hair-to you?"

Minerva nodded.

"And untill I tell people that I am Harmony, they will always see me as Hermione?"

"That's the way it works." Severus confirmed.

"Wow. So, it's like I'm hiding in plain sight."

In that moment, they all realized, it wasn't just a charm. It wasn't just a missing child found. It wasn't just a family sitting around a fire.

It was...a secret.

A huge secret, made of little ones.

A secret marriage.

A secret son.

A secret Room.

A secret charm.

A secret granddaughter.

A secret family.

A secret.

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><p>Don't forget to review! Pass on the love 3! Thank you for reading!<p>

-Arsha


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